Embrace My Cold Heart
by BISHOUNEN LOVERS
Summary: Ancient Egypt. Atem never thought he would fall in love with an assassin who was out to kill him, courtesy of Bakura. Bittersweet love, betrayal & tragedy occurs. AtemOC
1. The Asp

I do no own Yu Gi Oh or any other anime that inspires my fics. If I did, the characters would have their spawn running all over the place. ;)

I only own Neteb

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**Chapter 2: The Asp**

You might've heard the same story. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. They fall in love. They live happily ever after, and have a family of five. It seems I am that exception. I met and loved. But I had no happily ever after.

I am Neteb, once the most wanted murderess in all of Egypt. I fit into that category of little girls who lost their way and fell into darkness. However, I was one of the ones who escaped, and was saved.

As I said, I met someone and loved him. Like almost every man in a love story, he was forbidden fruit. But still…he was my entire world.

I belonged to him, and he to me. He was the Pharaoh Atem, my dearest love, and my target.

I should perhaps start at the beginning.

My mother died when I was a week old, and my aunt had always told me that I was the cause of her death. According to her, I had misbehaved when she was pregnant with me, and damaged her body. Of course, this was not the case. I knew Mother had bled to death because I was delivered carelessly. I had no one to trust when I was growing up, except for my dear father.

Father wasn't a child beater. He acted as both parents, and practically spoiled me. We never went hungry, and I had no qualms about our obvious poverty. I was the happiest child in the world.

My world was shattered when I was ten years old. That was when I lost my dear father.

We went to one of the nearest cities, and it was my first time out of the village. I was an enchanted child, who was easily impressed.

On our trip to the market, I caught sight of a mirror. The reflection frightened me. It was me. The reflection showed unusual green eyes, and everyone I knew had very dark eyes. I was scared to tears. Was this a curse from the gods themselves? This was how innocent I was at that age. Father merely chuckled and assured me, "Neteb, your eye color is one of the things about you that makes you special. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Right now, that would be one of the biggest clichés of the century. But I would always treasure those kind words, the last ones I would hear for years. Think what you will of it.

We joined a caravan to go home. Father surprised me with my first apple. I always treasured the taste of that sweet fruit.

The caravan was attacked by bandits. All I remember was being hauled onto a running horse. My father was dead. Our belongings were stolen. I became a slave.

I can't bear to remember my life at this point. I had no identity and was just something to yell orders at. Every night, I was tied to a post like an animal. My heart shed each hope, becoming as barren as the desert. No smile came to my face. All I could do was survive.

Four years passed.

This is an old story. The slave girl seems to become more attractive by the minute. One of my captors was quick to notice this one night.

One thought crept through my mind: _Rape_.

I could only do what my traumatized mind told me to do: Kill or be killed.

I killed him before he could get what he wanted.

There is no good excuse, I realize that. As I stood there, with the blood painted dagger of my captor in hand, I knew that my innocence was lost. At least I wasn't hurt. I was still alive.

I ran.

For the next two years, I killed for money. I had heard that girls in need often went to the brothels. I would never shame myself in _that_ way. A bounty hunter. They called me the 'Asp' because my strike was always fatal. My appearance was also altered. I cropped my long hair up to my chin. I hid my eyes behind my bangs, since it would be easy to tell who I was by my eye color.

With the money I made, I could buy the necessary provisions I needed. I drifted from sand dune to sand dune and had no difficulty.

Don't think that I enjoyed this type of life. I did not enjoy killing people that I didn't know. I only killed that bandit because I was afraid. What choice did a sixteen year old girl have?

Soon, I was approached by my last client. Her name was Anukis, the Queen of Thieves. The only reason she was called that was because she was servant to the King of Thieves.

Her note merely gave me the location of our meeting place, nothing more. I still kept my dagger ready.

I arrived to find the duo I would have to serve for the moment. Bakura was a striking man. His eyes were filled with the same darkness and hatred mine were filled with. Unruly silver hair framed his scarred face. I was captivated.

How could I know that I would come to hate this man forever?

He wasted no time on introductions. "You may know why we called you here, Bounty Hunter." I gave my response, "Only to do your will, Lord Bakura."

A grin graced his features. Kissing up to a client does lead to a considerable reward. He continued, "I am quite glad you know your place, girl. If it were otherwise, I would be paying you to kill yourself." A comedian, huh? This was going to be difficult. "So, what is your wish of me, my Lord?"

Again, not a time waster, "I know of your skills, bounty hunter. You are the legendary Asp, the murderer equivalent to myself. Therefore, I have a job for you. And it should prove to be your greatest." I chuckled once and said, "No job is a challenge for me, Lord Bakura. Just tell me who, and they'll be on their way to Sokar before you know it!" This was how overconfident I had become.

This pleased him, of course. "I am glad you aren't backing down, because I will certainly not be satisfied until this person is dead! Your target, which I will pay you treasures beyond your dreams to kill off, will be none other than our dear Pharaoh, Atem. The son of Akhnamkamen." He said the names in a mocking voice.

This is where I just stared in disbelief. "My Lord, you honor me…Though I am not completely sure if this will work as planned, I will take it! Rest assured that the Pharaoh will die!"

Like every other client, he was glad to hear these words. "Trust that your reward will be great, bounty hunter! But, if you betray me, the price will be greater than you could ever imagine."

I accepted and bowed out. No job was too hard, or impossible.

This one was.

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And next will be Icekitsune4ever's chapter!! I guess our stories intersect a bit and might get confusing...R&R! Give us nice reviews, and MAYBE I won't send my cat to cut you. 


	2. Neteb's Mission and Atem's Facination

Ahaha, Claudia's chapter made me L-O-L so hard, especially the "_'Small note to self- dye hair if too lazy to cut it"!!!!_ Okay, this part will be in 2nd person cuz I feel like it :P. Now, for the disclaimer…I own NOTHING except for Neteb. Btw, we'll pretty soon have some amvs and a deviantart account for this story!

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Neteb prepared for this mission just as she did for any other. She finished dressing and tied on a knee length cloak. Then she secured her prized dagger onto her belt and finally left her (current) hiding place. What need did she have for a horse? Of course, any kind of company was favorable, as she always thought. Still, Thebes wasn't that far-off. 

Then again, the Egyptian desert isn't exactly a walk in the park. She had started the journey at dawn and arrived in the bustling city of Thebes around noon. Crowds weren't favorable. So, she remained out of sight.

The palace was in full view, and Neteb smirked at how easy this job was going to be.

_Keep reminding yourself that it's just a job_, she told herself. _The court probably has hundreds of heirs hidden away in these cases._

Bodyguards? Of course, they can't be spared. But they weren't that much of a problem, since their poor excuses for skills lacked refinement.

Neteb hid herself in the shadows. She kept close watch on anyone who seemed important, since they could lead her to the Pharaoh. She couldn't help but be amazed by the immense richness of the palace. It was a great opportunity to see it, but her mind had to dwell on the task at hand. Any slip-ups, and there goes the bounty.

After what seemed like hours, the six priests left the throne room. Neteb took this as the signal to finally move towards the Pharaoh. A golden headdress flashed in the light, and Neteb moved silently behind her target.

Her soft sandals made no noise on the floors. The young Pharaoh took no notice of his surroundings. Atem's day had been especially tiring, and he had no wish to listen to Set's continued rants and complaints about Mahaddo's inability to strengthen up his _ka_. It was times like these that made him wish that he wasn't Pharaoh. Of course, who else would be there to guide his people? He thought to himself, _I mustn't focus only on myself. Father wouldn't have wanted it this way._ He reached his room and didn't bother closing the doors, giving the disbelieving girl behind him an ideal opportunity. Atem removed his cloak, headdress, and fell onto the bed. The semi-dry air quickly soothed him to sleep, his only getaway.

Neteb continued to tread carefully into the decorated room while the young man on the bed was breathing slowly. She unsheathed the dagger, but grimaced as the Pharaoh stirred at the noise. He continued to breathe softly and steadily. Atem moved to his side and grabbed a pillow, pressing the cool side to his cheek.

Still, the noise had dragged him from sleep, and he knew that it was another assassin. He opened one eye and paid close attention to the person who approached behind him. Atem had taken this particular pillow, since his own dagger was hidden inside of it.

_It's just another job. It's just another job…_

Neteb raised the dagger and prepared to bring it down on a lethal place.

Atem gripped the dagger handle and prepared to strike the assassin down.

_Whoosh!_

_CLANG!_

Both teenagers stopped their movements when their daggers crossed in the air.

The young Pharaoh, while holding his dagger steadily, stared at the unwavered young woman before him. Neteb's grasp seemed to loosen and tremble slightly as she stared at Atem for the first time.

Both noticed something similar. The intense awe that was clear in their gazes.

Of course, Atem was a little faster in his comeback. He managed to fling Neteb's dagger _way_ across the room and took both her wrists. Neteb mentally slapped herself for letting her guard down. She wiped away the bewildered expression on her face and replaced it with a cold glare. She retorted his actions "So, you think you're wise enough to knock _my _dagger away?"

Atem gave her a smug look and replied "Well, I am holding on to you pretty tight. And you don't seem to be resisting."

Neteb's eyes widened at his confidence. _Damn him_...

She attempted to free herself, but his grasp was strong. Besides, he had no intention of letting her go. The night just began to get interesting. He stood up, brought her a little bit closer to him, and asked casually, "What's a lovely girl like you doing in a profession like this one?"

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Oh, Atem, you're such a FLIRT! Read, review, and I will POST!! 


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